Calling All Grill Masters: Summer is Here!

I think it's funny that men have this collective reputation for being grill masters. Maybe it's just the guys I hang out with, but I know very few of them who are really great at grilling. It's all I can do not to push them aside, yank the tongs from their hands and the Kiss The Cook apron off their shoulders, and do my thing.

My prejudice probably comes from childhood memories of watching my dad struggle over the coals. Big fires were better than small, and burned burgers better than none at all. But one thing he did well over the glowing embers was put on weekend pyrotechnic shows that rivaled the brightest fireworks displays on the Fourth of July.

This week's Called to the Table column revisits Dad's Charcoal Lighter Fluid Mastering and provides grilled pizza advice and a potato flatbread recipe that is a terrific appetizer for guests to munch on while you Man the Grill (perfectly medium rare steaks with a salad of farmers market greens would be a nice second course). Ah, summer has arrived at last.